Italian Mac & Cheese
March 6, 2009 in pasta
Continuing on with my pork theme, I’ve got a sausage recipe for you. Only it has nothing to do with pork since I used turkey sausage.
This is a very basic recipe that can easily be made with whatever’s in your fridge. It’s just your basic macaroni and cheese but with an Italian cheese blend and with turkey Italian sausage, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It’s like my favorite omelette but in pasta form!
Italian Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (any kind)
- 1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ pound mushrooms, sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups Italian cheese blend
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained well
- ½ cup Parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and cook pasta to a chewy al dente, about 8 minutes.
- In a nonstick skillet, brown and crumble the sausage. Drain cooked crumbles on paper towel lined plate. Return pan to heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, butter, garlic and mushrooms. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Saute 3 to 5 minutes, until mushrooms are lightly golden.
- Preheat broiler to high.
- To mushrooms, add flour and stir, cooking 2 minutes. Whisk in stock, then stir in cream. Bring cream to a bubble, then stir in 2 cups of 4 cheese blend. When cheese has melted into sauce, add tomatoes. When sauce comes to a bubble, remove from heat and adjust seasonings, adding hot sauce if desired.
- Combine cheese sauce with sausage and pasta, transfer to baking dish, casserole or oven safe serving platter. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of 4 cheese blend and the grated Parmesan over the top and brown under hot broiler.
adapted from foodnetwork.com
That mac n cheese looks really good!
I did the same thing recently, except I used turkey kielbasa, cut into circles added to the mac and cheese. I usually use ham, but the kielbasa was a nice change.
I like your idea about the Italian sausage!
Ooh, I bet the kielbasa was really good! I’ll have to try that next time. Weirdly enough, I usually use diced ham in my mac & cheese too. It’s my husbands favorite.
Thanks for commenting!